Gretch
Origins and Distribution Hiding beneath the desert sands with nothing but a pair of tiny holes to see and breathe through, the Gretch are highly skilled ambush predators, preying on whatever crosses their path. They are cold-blooded creatures, and can survive well in the baking heat of the desert, though even they must shelter from its might as midday approaches, under the cooling sands. They are carnivorous, and will bury themselves in the sand and wait. When a suitable meal approaches they will burst out of the sand and pounce on their surprised prey. - 63/?? The distribution of the Gretch is believed to be restricted to the Desert of Skulls in Allansia. Because of this, and their Snake-like humanoid appearance, it is possible that they were originally created by the Caarth as one of their many experiments in creating hybrid combinations of Serpents and people. - ???/200-201 Whether any Gretch still dwell within the citadels of the Caarth, such as the Justrali do, or whether they have been completely abandoned, is unknown. As a result, their type has been changed from Monster to Humanoid/Reptile, to better reflect both their potential origins and their illustration, above, which is strikingly humanoid-like. Arguing against this though, is a brief passage in Out of the Pit which states: - 28/??}} Unfortunately, the Gretch are not an easy creature to study, and the truth of the matter will likely be unknown for some time! Description Gretch are thin, sandy-coloured reptilian monsters, which usually walk on their hind legs, standing as tall as a man. They have large heads like that of a Snake or Lizard, with forked tongues and wide fang-filled mouths. Each scaly hand ends in one long claw, like a cruel curved dagger, honed and sharpened until it can slice through skin and bone alike. This makes them especially deadly to nomads or traders, since in the searing heat of the desert even leather armour can become a furnace, and so travellers have little protection against them. Special Abilities The claws of the Gretch are so sharp that they will do 3 stamina points of damage in a successful hit. Alternatively, if you are using the Advanced Fighting Fantasy rules system, then the weapon type used by a Gretch is "Very Large Claw". - 156 In addition, given the ambush ability of the Gretch, the rules on Unopposed Strikes and Surprise may also prove useful. -163 Further Notes *Because of their constant need for food, a Gretch will lurk near water-holes and trade routes, and will always fight to death, since it cannot burrow beneath the sands if it is injured, and will starve slowly and painfully, tormented by Vultures and the noon sun alike. *Gretch is both the singular and plural form of name for this creature. *They are one of those rare creatures that occur in ''Out of the Pit but almost nowhere else in official Titan canon. There is a brief mention of the Gretch in the Deserts Encounter Table in Allansia. - 166 The Gretch is also mentioned on the "Monsters and Enemies" list in the Arion Games Advanced Fighting Fantasy – The Roleplaying Game rulebook. , (p.125) *The Gretch likely exists in competition with other specialised carnivorous reptilian monsters such as the Rasaur and Sand Snapper. See Also References Category:OOTP Entries Category:Allansia Entries Category:Other Races-Races